Sun | Jun 7, 2026

British vehicles make grand entry

Published:Sunday | April 10, 2011 | 12:00 AM
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Robert Levy (right), chairman of Jamaica Broilers Group, entertains Donovan Perkins (left), president and CEO of Pan Caribbean Financial Services, and Bruce Bowen, president and CEO of the Bank of Nova Scotia Jamaica Limited, at the Jaguar/Land Rover/Range Rover cocktail reception at the British high commissioner's residence on Trafalgar Road on Wednesday.
The Land Rover Discovery 4 and the LR2 at the British high commissioner's Trafalgar Road residence in St Andrew last Wednesday. - photos by Colin Hamilton
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Brian Bonitto, Special Assignment Editor

Like sentries, two Land Rover vehicles stood majestically at either side of the entrance to the British high commissioner's Trafalgar Road residence, attracting the watchful eyes of guests as they passed.

It was no ordinary affair. On the sprawling lawn at the back of the imposing great house were government ministers, corporation heads and financial institution executives who were out in full force for the 2011 launch of the iconic British-made Jaguar, Land Rover and Range Rover models.

iconic brands

"It's great to have fantastic examples of the British car industry here. Everybody knows, these are iconic brands known all over the world," said His Excellency Howard Drake, British high commissioner to Jamaica. The high commissioner, who began his tour of duty in January 2010, said road vehicles made up the second-largest British export to Jamaica.

"In 2010, they [motor vehicle exports] were up about 60-odd per cent over the previous year. It's a huge part of our manufacturing sector," Drake said.

"There is no better vehicle than a 4x4 Land Rover ... and the Jaguars are not bad either!" he added.

Land Rover's Range Rover is the official off-road vehicle of Britain's royal family and it has found its way into the desert-oasis palaces of Saudi Arabia and Dubai.

Adam Stewart, deputy chairman of the ATL Automotive Group,

spoke to the reliability of the brands.

"Seventy per cent of all the Land Rovers ever produced are still on the road today and 40 per cent of the first model of that vehicle, which was exported to developing countries, is the good old Land Rover," the deputy chairman said.

Stewart assured guests that his company had adequate supplies of spare parts for the vehicles on show, and he said service for the

vehicles would not be a challenge.

"We have two Level Four, factory-trained technicians and parts stock valued at over $1.5 billion. There is nothing we don't have for these cars and they do not give trouble. They're dream cars."

The deputy chairman said he looked forward to the Land Rover Discovery taking over the market share of the Toyota Prado and Toyota Land Cruiser.

"And, as my old man said: 'The Jaguar's back!'," Stewart added.